Bitter Studies and Sweet Rewards
by 1221bookworm
Summary: Jacin's trying to study for a medical exam. Winter's trying to help him, but she's easily distracted. Jacin thinks it's cute. Sometimes.


**_A/N: Here is TLC Shipweeks 2018 prompt number 2 for Winter and Jacin: Bittersweet. Messing around with the term, I discovered it is also a plant and a plant family, so I had a little fun with Jacin and his medical studies._**

 ** _A/N 2: I don't own the Lunar Chronicles. I only get to see how I can torture the characters when Marissa Meyer isn't looking._**

Winter pulled the medical journal closer, flipping through the pages for topics that looked difficult. If she was going to help Jacin study, she couldn't go easy on him.

He was tapping his pen against the desk impatiently. Winter refused to let it bother her, humming to herself as she scanned the indexes.

"What is the difference between Bittersweet and Nightshade?"

Jacin moved to take the textbook away, but Winter held it out of reach. "They aren't going to be long answer questions. They'll be true and false or multiple choice. If you're not going to do it that way, I'll be better off studying alone."

Shaking her head at him, Winter resettled the book in her lap. "If you can pass my test, you'll be one thousand times more likely to pass at school. Now," her voice turned scolding. "Answer the question."

With a sigh, Jacin intoned, "The nightshade family encompasses a variety of fruits and vegetables that we eat every day. There are wild stands, however, that can be toxic to poisonous if ingested. Bittersweet tends to the toxic side, creating an upset stomach and similar symptoms while the deadly nightshade variety matches its name in danger."

Winter clapped, her face lit up. "Wonderful. Just wonderful."

If she didn't know better, she'd say Jacin's ears were red. "If only we could pass on oratory skills alone."

"It's part of your practice to improve bedside manner." She nodded her head one to emphasize her point before her nose disappeared inside the textbook again.

"Why do they call it 'bittersweet'?" Her tone was curious, and for a moment, Jacin didn't realize the question was directed at him.

He shrugged. Maybe because it's a bitter pill to swallow when you eat it, but the end result isn't too bad because you will survive."

Winter clasped her hands together. "How poetic, Jacin."

"Medicine is not poetic, Winter."

"Why can't it be? I think art improves everything. In fact, I am going to write that right here in the front of your book." Winter pulled out a set of fancy pens and set about selecting which one she would use.

A long time passed in silence. Winter's pen scratched away, and Jacin took to scrolling through his port to review notes.

He jumped when Winter pronounced, "Ta-da," before sliding he book towards him. "I took a few liberties to make it even more poetic."

Jacin looked down at his dedication page, reading in Winter's elegant script:

Bittersweet

Definition: when a bitter pill still

Creates a sweet ending.

© Jacin Clay

Laughing, he pointed to the copyright symbol Winter had added before his name. Don't you think that should be your name, since you reworked the whole thing?"

Winter shook her head, curls bouncing. I was just the editor, you were the creator." She sidled closer. "I think it is a very pretty way to refer to quite a few things in life, don't you?"

"Hmm?" His attention was already returning to his notes. Winter caught his cheeks and turned him to look at her.

"If Levana had never tried to burn dearest Selene, she never would have gone to Earth, and we'd never have gotten to meet Scarlet-friend or her Wolf, the Captain or Cress, or even Emperor Kai."

Jacin's face hardened. "There were a lot of sacrifices in between, Winter. People who gave their lives – "

Her finger landed on his lips, silencing him. "I remember the sacrifices, Jacin." She closed her eyes in a long blink, drawing attention to her scars. Jacin mentally cursed himself for his insensitivity.

Winter wasn't done. "If we only focus on the sacrifices, then the ending is bitter-bitter. But," her face brightened again, her eyes twinkling. "When we choose to look for the good, the ending becomes bittersweet."

 _Her lips on mine is very sweet,_ was Jacin's last thought as Winter ended her lecture with a kiss. When she pulled away, she was back to business.

"It's a very bitter pill you had to wait so long to study medicine, but the ending won't be sweet at all if you don't _actually_ study." She barely paused for breath. "Now. What is the difference between a simple and compound fracture, and how do you treat both?"

Keeping his voice even, Jacin responded, his lips still twitching in delight. Trust Winter to make even the driest subjects enjoyable.


End file.
